Last night, Zach Werenski said it felt like there were way more than 2,000 fans in the building.
Now, there will be.
The State of Ohio officially signed a health order into effect yesterday that permits 25% capacity at indoor sporting events, which is great news for the Blue Jackets. Last night's game against Detroit was the first time that fans were at Nationwide Arena for a game since March 1st, 2020, and the 1,953 (10% capacity) fans in attendance made their presence known.
Today, the Blue Jackets announced that they will be increasing the capacity of Nationwide Arena to 25%, in accordance with Ohio's public health order. It'll begin with their next home game, which is March 9th against the Panthers.
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that tickets to games beginning with the March 9 matchup vs. the Florida Panthers will go on sale via presales for Season Ticket Holders on Thursday and Friday with a limited number of tickets to select games going on sale to the public on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET. Fans can purchase single-game tickets online only at BlueJackets.com and ticketmaster.com.
The presale opportunities will give priority to Day One Season Ticket/Personal Seat License Holders, Full Season Ticket Holders, Half Season Ticket Holders and Quarter Season Ticket Holders, followed by Mini-Plan Holders and Group Ticket Leaders and subscribers to The Flag Bearer team newsletter (fans can visit BlueJackets.com/flagbearer to subscribe). Purchases will be limited to six tickets per game and will be sold in seating pods located at least six feet apart from others to maintain social distancing. Season Ticket Holders will receive an e-mail today with the timing of their specific restricted presale window.
These new on-sale procedures follow the announcement that indoor arenas across Ohio have been approved to welcome up to 25 percent of their seating capacities to their venues. For complete information on the game night experience and new health and safety protocols at Nationwide Arena, visit www.BlueJackets.com/WelcomeBack.
One thing to note with this 25% capacity is that it is calculated differently than the 10% was. The 10% capacity number of 1,953 fans included standing room only capacity, but the 25% capacity does not. With that in mind, 4,536 fans will be allowed into Nationwide for next week's tilt with the Panthers.
